


An Evening Redness in the Southwest

by thiswesternfeeling



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Someguy2000
Genre: F/M, Gen, bounty hunter AU, neutral karma courier, not canon, very evil karma lone wanderer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:40:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25066306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thiswesternfeeling/pseuds/thiswesternfeeling
Summary: Post-HH, post Hoover Dam, the courier makes a living as a bounty hunter, and gets caught up in decades of bitter rivalry between outlaws, ending in a face-off between her and the Lone Wanderer. Also her lover Joshua Graham is there, for some reason.Spoilers for FNV, the New Vegas Bounties mod, Honest Hearts, and my previous fic Built Between My Ribs.
Relationships: Female Courier/Joshua Graham, Female Courier/Male Lone Wanderer
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Heavily inspired by someguy2000’s NVB series.

Joshua was a man of his word, and after the last gunshot rang out in the battle of Hoover Dam, he was there. In return for helping her see Lanius slain and Oliver flung over the side of the dam, the courier kept her word and had set him up in the auto-doc courtesy of House. 

The courier sifted through the pages of medical texts as Joshua stood across the room from her, awaiting approval to enter the machine.

"Now," the familiar robotic voice of Mr House emanated from the screen of the courier’s Pip-boy, “This won't get rid of your scars, nor will it replace any missing appendages, but the skin should return to full functionality and pain should be greatly reduced if not eliminated altogether."

"It sounds good to me. My expectations aren't high." Joshua then opened the door to the auto-doc and stepped inside.

"Alright, when you're ready, Noore."

On Mr. House’s cue, the courier shut the door to the auto-doc, and the cylinder buzzed with electricity, surging and zapping, lights flickering, until it gradually calmed, then ceased altogether. 

When Joshua stepped out of the auto-doc, Noore leapt up from her seat and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. 

“Is... Is this alright?” Noore asked, stepping back from him. 

“Alright?” Joshua said, “It’s nothing short of a miracle. It’s been so long since I’ve been without pain, I forgot what it felt like.”

A teardrop threatened to cross Noore’s cheek. “Do you want to take off the bandages now?”

Joshua stopped for a second, looking behind him. “...no, not right now at least. It’s been a part of me for so long now, it feels like an organ in and of itself. The bandages offered a sense of security, the idea that I can hide my scars from others. I..." He shook his head, as if erasing the thought he was about to verbalize. "It will certainly be an adjustment." Joshua exhaled a heavy breath, releasing tension he didn't realize he was holding. "Thank you, Noore. For everything. For this, for Zion, for the dam, for Caesar, for the NCR. I could never return your immense generosity by anything other than being at your side the rest of my days. And I don't merely mean that as a lover, I mean as a friend, as a teammate, as someone always in your corner. You've changed me, Noore. When we first met I vastly underestimated the impact you would have on me. You challenge me, and you make me think. You push me when I need it, and fall back when the situation fits. We are yang and yin, beginning and end. I only wish to be as much to you as you are to me. Would you have that, Noore?”

A tear fell down her cheek as she embraced him. “Yes, yes I would.” 

He lifted her up from the ground and spun her around in his arms, with an ease that he never thought he would have again. 

“I believe it’s high time for our formal victory celebration.”


	2. Now Hiring!

It was at the Goodsprings Saloon that Noore and her friends returned to after the battle, ready to celebrate their victory in the place it all began, when she found a note. 

In truth, they had been celebrating for weeks, hitting up every outpost after they got bored of Vegas, heading to towns around the area like their own little victory parade. Then was the routine: they get drunk, wake up hungover, the hardier of the gang going back the next night for as much booze, drugs, hookers and gambling they could want. Truth be told, the glamour of wealth and fame lost its novelty to Noore. In having all you could ever want, there was no motivation anymore. It seemed insensitive to complain, so she kept her thoughts to herself and continued to drink all over Vegas with her friends until she could find something to do with herself. It was then, sitting on an empty barstool, a holotape called _Now Hiring!_

> _Randall & Associates Bounty Hunting Firm, Now Hiring Armed Professionals._

Joshua, as he always did, had passed on the alcohol and the drunken foolishness that came with it. She made a note of it to ask him. She didn't expect him to follow her unquestioningly because of their oath, but instead, saw it as an opportunity to get a second opinion on the idea. Since their oath that nothing short of death separate them, the Courier and Joshua's extreme ways had blended into a happy medium of sorts. Neither of them made impulsive decisions anymore. By having the Courier to answer to, Joshua knew when to stay his hand. And by having Joshua to answer to, she was not as reckless. 

* * *

“Taking out the wasteland’s trash? That’s hardly work suited to you.” Joshua said, not making eye contact as he cleaned his favorite weapon. His scarred fingers moved with the agility and deftness of a surgeon, no doubt fully functional again, even if his skin remained mottled and he was usually mistaken for a ghoul rather than a human. 

"Think about this," Noore said, a hand resting on her hip, "The Followers are overburdened, the NCR is gone, the families only influence the Strip. The Brotherhood won't help anyone unless they stand to gain. Securitrons are stretched thin and even then, robots can't replace human peacekeepers."

"Those all are good reasons for someone to hunt bounties," he said, "but I don't understand why it has to be you. You know as well as I, reveling in killing, letting the violence take you, is a path that can only lead to disaster."

"If I don't do it, someone else will, or worse, they'll go free. Why not me? You know I can handle myself, make judgments when needed, avoid unnecessary harm. If it isn't me, it'll be some kid greener than grass, or a grizzled ex-ranger who will take any contract for the price. Besides, I'm fucking bored of luxury. I want action again, I want the thrill of knowing I've changed the wasteland for the better."

Joshua looked at her a few seconds, unblinking. "Fighting boredom is your argument?"

Noore clenched her fists, and puffed out an exasperated sigh. "That was my last, and least substantial point."

"Yes, I understand, but it was the only weak point you had. Consider me convinced." He paused. "And you do understand that you don't need my permission to do things?"

"Yes, I know." Noore said. "But it's not permission I was seeking. It was your thoughts. I value your input. Answering to you, it makes me think about things in depth. I'm not as impulsive when I think of what you might have to say."

Joshua was silent a moment, before taking Noore's hands in his own. "I am grateful that you value my opinion. I am grateful that I leave an impact on you. I thank God every day for bringing you into my life. Bounty hunting is dangerous work, and I fully believe you are capable of it. Perhaps this is exactly how God wants you to use the talents he gave you. I just ask that I be by your side, and we work as a team, we fill in each other's gaps."

Noore squeezed his hand, her body bouncing as joy flooded through her veins. "It's a deal. Here's the holotape."


End file.
